TV on the Radio

It was impossible to know exactly what to expect from TV on the Radio – the most-acclaimed American alt-rock band of the 21st century – when it came to town this time around.

The band’s world was rocked hard last month, after bassist-keyboardist Gerard Smith died from lung cancer on April 20. Smith, who joined the group in 2005 and made important contributions to TVotR’s last three albums, was 36.

In the wake of his death, TVotR postponed a batch of its gigs, including a two-night stand at San Francisco’s Independent. The rescheduled Bay Area dates would be TVotR’s first public performances since the loss. Continue Reading →

Sure, the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival still has a way to go before it can be ranked among the country’s best large-scale music gatherings, a group that would include the Monterey Jazz Festival, Southern California’s Coachella and Texas’ South by Southwest. But it’s clearly on its way.

The second annual festival, held in glorious weather conditions Friday through Sunday at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, was an improvement over last year’s inaugural Outside Lands in several ways. Continue Reading →

Quillen was right. His high-ranking sources were correct, when they named Pearl Jam, DMB and Beastie Boys as the headliners, respectively, Aug. 28-30 for the 2nd annual Outside Lands Festival at Golden Gate Park in SF.

I’m pretty excited about the first two acts, and understand that I will lose “cool points” by being lukewarm about the third. That’s OK, though.

Other acts that I’m excited about seeing at this year’s festival include: Continue Reading →

Sorry that I’m late in posting this, but, as the sports guys say, “it is what it is.” The following are my picks for the best music released in 2008:

1, “Accelerate,” R.E.M. (Warner Bros.)

The pride of Athens, GA, perfectly illustrated why it’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but still far from being ready for the Rock and Roll Retirement Home, with its 14th studio set. The so-called “comeback album,” which follows four consecutive outings that failed to live to up to commercial expectations, is this year’s mainstream rock masterpiece, a work filled with toothy guitar, poetic lyrics and killer rhythm work. In other words, “Accelerate” is classic R.E.M.

2, “Two Men with the Blues,” Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis (Blue Note)

The country music king and the jazz prince mesh amazingly well on this collection of classic blues cuts, standards and fan favorites. This live set stands as the brightest moment in yet another illustrious year for Nelson. (The singer-songwriter’s recent solo outing, “Moment of Forever,” was also a strong contender for this list.)

3, “Earth to the Dandy Warhols,” the Dandy Warhols (Beat the World Records)

The dynamic Portland band – arguably the most consistently entertaining recording act in rock over the last 19 years – returns with another worthy addition to its catalog. If the entire package had been as stunning as tracks eight through 12, which all rank among the finest rock songs released in 2008, then “Earth to the Dandy Warhols” would’ve come in at No. 1 on this list.

4, “One Kind Favor,” B.B. King (Geffen)

Having seen his polished stage revue several times over the last few years, and barely tolerated his commercial collaborations with Eric Clapton and other stars, I had no idea that the octogenarian could still deliver something so achingly raw and poignant. “One Kind Favor” is exactly that – a true gift from the bluesman to listeners.

5, “Dear Science,” TV on the Radio (Interscope)

Equally impressive both on the live stage and in the studio, TVOTR is the best American rock band to rise to fame over the last five years. This follow-up to 2006’s dynamite “Return to Cookie Mountain” is a testament to just how progressive, experimental and downright exciting popular music can still be when entrusted to the right hands.

6, “Just a Little Lovin’,” Shelby Lynne (Lost Highway)

If Norah Jones had come up with this clever marketing idea first _ to put out a heartfelt tribute to Dusty Springfield _ the resulting effort would’ve topped the charts. Instead, Lynne was the one handling the homage, which meant it sold far less copies and, more significantly, was a real keeper. The alt-country-pop vocalist sounds mesmerizing as she covers such Springfield favorites as “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and “The Look of Love.”

7, “Gracias,” Omara Portuondo (Montuno)

The Cuban vocalist, known to the world as the queen of the Buena Vista Social Club, returns with a gorgeous set of sensitive ballads and softly swinging numbers. Her voice still sounds as strong as it did on 2000’s “Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo.” For a double-shot of Portuondo, also check out the newly released live set “Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall.”

8, “That Lucky Old Sun,” Brian Wilson (Capitol)

Compared to what he went through with 2004’s “Smile” – an album that took nearly 40 years to complete – the Beach Boys mastermind says he had a really good time recording his most recent solo offering. It’s easy to take him on his word once one listens to “That Lucky Old Sun,” a work that is “Fun, Fun, Fun” basically from start to finish.

The first disc (“Elephants”) reveals the singer-songwriter-pianist’s dark and vulnerable side, and it should appeal to fans of Ray Lamontagne (who actually guests on the side). The second disc (“Teeth”) sounds strong and confident, reminiscent of latter-era Concrete Blonde. Together, they make for a truly impressive sophomore set.

10, “Golden Delicious,” Mike Doughty (ATO)

The former leader of Soul Couching is back with his best solo offering since 2002’s “Smofe + Smang: Live in Minneapolis.” The album is stockpiled with clever, catchy lyrics and some of its songs, including “Fort Hood,” “27 Jennifers” and “Nectarine,” place among the finest of Doughty’s career.

Working as a music critic in the Bay Area is a lot like being a kid in a candy store – 365 days a year. Fortunately, I have a major sweet tooth for live music.

As per usual, I saw some 175-200 concerts over the year, and there were still some shows I’m sorry I missed. The following is a recap of the 10 best I witnessed in 2008.

I’d love to read about your top picks, as well as the cellar dwellers, from the past 12 months. Please post your comments.

The Top 10:

1, Bruce Springsteen, April 5, HP Pavilion, San JoseIt seems cliché to state that Springsteen put on the year’s best concert, given that he’s arguably the most dependable live act in the business. On this night – as well as the prior evening at Arco Arena in Sacramento – the Boss and his E Street Band took their game to a level that I haven’t seen them reach in years. It definitely topped what Springsteen delivered during his previous local outing (October 2007 at Oracle Arena in Oakland).

2, Martina McBride, Aug. 8, Sleep Train Pavilion, ConcordFans can always count on a memorable ride when McBride is behind the wheel. In Concord, the stunningly attractive vocalist handled a wide assortment of material, from country standards to recent radio hits to classic-rock covers, and thrilled the crowd at each turn. The evening further underscored this critic’s assessment that McBride is the single best reason to follow modern mainstream country.

3, Patti Smith, Oct. 20, Warfield, San FranciscoWhen Smith is really on – like she was during this concert celebrating the birthday of French poet Arthur Rimbaud – it’s exceedingly hard to succinctly sum up what happens onstage. It’s a swirling, and winning, mix of punk rock, poetry and personality that seems to defy standardized classification. The only description that really works is to call it “pure Patti.”

4, R.E.M./Modest Mouse, May 31, U.C. Greek, Berkeley“Tonight is your night,” Michael Stipe told the crowd early in the show. “I’m happy to be here to share it with you.” The vocalist then continued on to lead R.E.M. through a mesmerizing 27-song set that seemed tailor-made for longtime fans. The group flipped through its enormous catalog, moving from the 1983 debut “Murmur” up through the excellent new album “Accelerate,” and came up with only aces. Modest Mouse set the table for what was the best one-two punch found on any rock tour this year.

5, Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige, April 20, Oracle Arena, Oakland
This co-headlining show, featuring the man generally regarded as the king of rap and the reigning “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” was a royal good time. Coming into the concert, everyone knew that Blige would bring it – she always does. The revelation was the performance by Jay-Z. He’s been known to mail it in onstage, but he managed to rise to Blige-like heights this time around.

6, Cowboy Junkies, April 28, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, OaklandThe Canadian group spent much of the year celebrating the 20th anniversary of its landmark “The Trinity Sessions,” a work that ranks among my all-time favorite records. Yet, Margo Timmins and her fellow Junkies didn’t seem all that interested in nostalgia on this night. Instead, they turned their passion toward their most recent album, 2007’s stunningly beautiful “At the End of Paths Taken.”

7, TV on the Radio, Nov. 9, WarfieldThe Brooklyn band’s latest studio set, “Dear Science,” is the trendy (and very worthy) pick for album of the year. Those critics/cheerleaders should see TVOTR in concert, a setting where the band’s experimental art-rock sound translates even more fully than it does in the studio.

8, Brian Wilson, Sept. 5, Paramount Theatre, Oakland
A mere 500 or so fans turned out to see this pop-music titan perform at the 3,000-plus-capacity venue. What the masses missed, perhaps in favor of re-watching old “American Idol” recordings, was the kind of “Fun, Fun, Fun” that only the former Beach Boys leader can deliver.

9, Michael Buble, May 3, HP Pavilion, San JoseThe best surprise of the year, for this critic, was to see how well Buble’s old-school nightclub shtick translates in a gargantuan arena. The young crooner definitely gets what it means to be an entertainer. In that sense, he’s truly following in the footsteps of such role models as Ol’ Blue Eyes and Tony Bennett.

10, Lupe Fiasco, Jan. 13, Fillmore
The year got off to a high note with this fine showing by the young rap sensation. He only had two full-length albums to pull from, yet he still managed to captivate the crowd for more than two hours. This was no fluke – a few months later at the HP Pavilion, Fiasco would steal the show as the opening act on Kanye West’s “Glow in the Dark Tour.”

Few words will make a hipsterâ€™s blood race faster than those eight. The Brooklyn alt-rock band is great on record _ indeed, itâ€™s latest studio set, â€œDear Science,â€ is one of the yearâ€™s best _ but the group always seems to shine a bit brighter in concert.

Having already performed in the Bay Area less than two months ago, at the two-day Treasure Island Music Festival, TVOTR delighted its local following by returning to play the Warfield in San Francisco on Sunday night (Nov. 9).

The show was short in duration, with a main set that lasted just 50 minutes, complemented with a four-song encore, but it was mighty fulfilling. TVOTR filled the concert so many diversely appealing musical elements, from funky soul and swirling electro to artsy prog-rock and powerful post-punk. Taken collectively, it sounded like the richest, most complex music in all of mainstream alt-rock.Continue Reading →